This project examines the impact of language hierarchies upon Senegalese and American political citizenship and belonging. In Senegal and the United States, in spite of their different geography and history, language dictates access to civic presence and state legitimacy. The French language hegemony in post-colonial Senegal and English language dominance in multicultural America continue to shape areas of exclusion, quietly dictating who gets heard, represented, and politically legitimized. Comparing two cases that are rarely compared side by side, this research contributes to larger citizenship and inclusion debates by illustrating how language hierarchies in multicultural and postcolonial societies help reinforce social and political order. I argue that, despite their different histories, Senegal and the United States both demonstrate how language standardization is an instrument of political domination. This project develops a new lens for understanding linguistic power, framing these as opposite ends of a continuum from hierarchical pluralism in Senegal to monolingual pluralism in the United States.